Put simply, the working principle of a diamond saw blade is to utilise the extreme hardness of diamond-the hardest natural substance known to man-to grind and cut materials that are far softer than it, such as stone, concrete, ceramics and glass, at high speed. The core function of a diamond saw blade is not to 'cut' but to 'grind', much like using an extremely hard grinding wheel to continuously 'scrape' against the target object.
1. The core structure of a diamond saw blade.
Understanding the core structure of a diamond saw blade is fundamental to grasping how it works. A standard diamond saw blade consists of two parts: the body and the cutting head.
The body is typically a high-strength alloy steel disc, which serves to support the blade and transmit power. Stress relief grooves and noise-reduction grooves are usually machined into the body to facilitate heat dissipation, prevent deformation and reduce noise.
The cutting edge is the part that actually performs the cutting action and is brazed onto the outer rim of the body. The cutting edge is formed by sintering a mixture of diamond abrasive grains and a metal matrix. The diamond grains provide the abrasive capability; the size, concentration and crystal structure of these grains directly influence the saw blade's cutting efficiency. The metal matrix is usually sintered from metal powders such as cobalt, copper, iron and tin; its function is to securely hold the diamond grains in place whilst ensuring that it wears down evenly.
2. The detailed working process of diamond saw blades.
The entire cutting process of a diamond saw blade is a dynamic, self-renewing process of wear equilibrium.
Step one: High-speed rotation and contact. The saw blade is mounted on the cutting machine and rotates at an extremely high linear velocity (typically 20–80 meters per second). The cutting edge comes into contact with the material being cut, and a certain amount of pressure is applied.
Step two: The initial grinding stage. Initially, the diamond particles are embedded within the metal matrix, with only a few slightly protruding from the surface. During cutting, the diamond particles act like tiny, extremely hard 'teeth', making initial contact with the surface of the material being cut. Under pressure and high-speed rotation, each diamond particle functions as a miniature cutting edge, scraping and ploughing through the material's surface to produce a large quantity of fine cutting debris. Due to the extreme hardness of the diamonds, the material being cut is rapidly ground away.
Step three: The continuous grinding stage. This is the most critical stage, involving the wear of the matrix and the shedding of diamonds. The metal matrix must be harder than the material being cut, yet significantly softer than the diamonds. Ideally, as the diamond particles gradually become blunt after cutting, causing planar wear, the friction with the material increases, leading to a rise in local temperature. At this point, the softer metal matrix gradually wears away and flakes off due to frictional heat and the impact of the abrasive grains. Once the matrix has worn to a certain extent and can no longer firmly hold the now-blunt diamond, that diamond particle will actively detach. As the outer layer of the matrix and the blunted diamond particles are shed, the next layer of new, sharp diamond particles is exposed, allowing for continued efficient cutting. This process of 'old teeth shedding and new teeth emerging' is known as 'self-sharpening'.
Step four: completion of the cutting operation. Once the cutting objective has been achieved, switch off the cutting machine and the high-speed rotating saw blade in accordance with the operating instructions for the machine and saw blade, thereby completing the entire operation.
